Seixas’s Il Lombardia win sparks bold Pogačar comparison from Hincapie and Bruyneel: ‘It's not even a competition’

The Frenchman rode clear on the Civiglio on Saturday and crossed the line in Como 48 seconds ahead of Enric Mas (Movistar). At 20 years and 16 days, he is now the youngest winner in Il Lombardia history.

It was the result Decathlon CMA CGM had built their team around. It also prompted a bold verdict on The Move podcast. Johan Bruyneel, George Hincapie and Spencer Martin went through Seixas' season and landed on a conclusion few would have risked a year ago: in one-day racing, the Frenchman is already ahead of where Pogačar was at the same age.

Hincapie raised the age-for-age comparison first.

"You can almost say that might be even better than Pogačar at 20 years old," he suggested.

Martin did not hesitate. "Oh, it's not even a competition," he replied. Then he went further still: "He's so much better than Pogačar was in one-day racing at 20 years old."

Bruyneel built the case on four races. Seixas opened his Classics campaign with second place behind Pogačar at Strade Bianche. With the Slovenian absent, he then won La Flèche Wallonne. That Sunday, he finished runner-up to Pogačar at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Lombardia, again without Pogačar, completed the set.

"He starts off the season, he gets second in Strade Bianche, behind Pogačar," said Bruyneel. "Then the next one, Pogačar's not there, Flèche Wallonne, he wins. Three days later, Pogačar's there, second to Pogačar. And now the other Monument that Pogačar's not there, he wins."

"It's pretty impressive, man," Bruyneel continued. "I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting other one-day races, but just to name those four, that's like, okay, you can basically hang your whole career on those results."

In September, Seixas finished second at the GP de Montréal. He helped break apart the favourites on the final ascent of Camillien-Houde, only to lose out to Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG).

By the time he reached Lombardia, Seixas had piled up major one-day results across the spring and autumn against the best riders in the world. Como was the first time that run produced a Monument.

What makes Seixas' season so hard to judge through the Classics alone is everything he did between them.

He won a stage and finished second overall at the Volta ao Algarve early in the year. In April, he won the Itzulia Basque Country overall, taking three stages along the way.

Then came July. Still only 19, Seixas finished fourth overall on his Tour de France debut. That made him the youngest rider ever to finish inside the race's top five.

Martin brought that result straight back into the discussion. "And then Johan, in the middle of all that, he gets fourth in the Tour de France."

At 20 yeas old, in 2019, Pogačar won the Volta ao Algarve and the Tour of California. He then finished third overall at the Vuelta a España, winning three stages. A remarkable debut season by any measure.

But there was no Monument. Pogačar's first came at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2021, at 22, and he did not ride his first Tour de France until 2020.

Seixas now has a Monument and a Tour de France top five. Pogačar had neither at the same age.

Whether Seixas will be able to better Pogacar is another question entirely. The answer to which we as cycling fans will be lucky enough to watch play out in real time.